Guide

Gliding cupping, in plain terms

Static cups sit. A gliding cup moves. Same lift on the tissue, but travelling slowly along the back or the leg through oil, so a whole region is worked rather than one spot.

What a cup actually does

Massage pushes into tissue. A cup does the opposite: it lifts. The air inside is drawn out, the skin and the layer beneath rise into the cup, and tissue that has been pressed flat by training or by sitting gets a moment of space. No heat, no needles, no wet cupping. I use silicone and plastic cups, so the lift is set by hand and can be softened at any moment.

Static or gliding

Static, the cups are placed over a dense area and left for a short time while I keep working elsewhere with the hands. Gliding, one cup is placed with oil and drawn slowly along the muscle, up the back, down the thigh, around the shoulder blade, the way a hand would travel.

Static is for one spot that will not let go. Gliding is for a whole region that feels heavy. Most sessions use both, and the hands never leave: massage opens the area first, the cups do their part, massage settles it after.

What it feels like

A pull rather than a push. People who expect it to hurt are usually surprised: the lift is set to what you give, and gliding in particular feels close to a deep, slow massage. If a cup feels too strong, say so and I release it. There is nothing to be gained by pushing through.

The marks, honestly

Gliding leaves lighter, more diffuse marks than static cups, because the cup does not stay in one place. Where cups sit still you may see round marks. They often fade within several days but may remain visible for longer. They are not bruises from pressure. An event coming up, a wedding, a swim: tell me and I keep the cups where nothing shows, or leave them out.

Who it suits

People who train and carry a dense back, heavy legs, or a shoulder a hand alone does not reach. People who sit all day and feel the mid-back as one flat plate. It is also the version I offer first to someone who has never had cupping and is unsure about the marks.

Tell me first

Cupping is not for broken or irritated skin, a fresh injury, varicose veins, the front of the neck, or a pregnancy without your doctor's go-ahead. If you take blood thinners or bruise very easily, tell me before we begin; I will usually keep to the hands. This is bodywork, not treatment: I do not diagnose, and a session does not replace care from a doctor or physiotherapist.

How a session runs

Cupping is worked into the Recovery + Cupping hour, not billed as an extra: sixty minutes at $290, travel included within the area I cover, at home or at your hotel. 75, 90 and 120 minutes are on the service page. Same practitioner each time, so I know which shoulder we were working on last month.

Ask for a time Recovery + Cupping, the full page

Written by Farid, the practitioner. Last checked 10 September 2026. All guides.